{
    "meta": {
        "title": "Private and Sovereign Messengers Comparison",
        "description": "A comparison of 9 private / metadata-resistant / self-hostable messengers (SimpleX, Briar, Signal, Nostr DMs, Session, Cwtch, Matrix/Element, XMPP+OMEMO, Delta Chat) across transport model, metadata resistance, identifier (phone vs none vs pubkey), e2ee protocol, open-source status, self-hostability and platforms, with a sovereignty read on each.",
        "generated": "2026-07-23T12:24:43+00:00",
        "version": "1.0",
        "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
        "license_name": "CC BY 4.0",
        "source": "https://d-central.tech/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
        "record_count": 9,
        "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
        "next_review": "2026-10-16",
        "disclaimer": "A comparison of messenger properties for choosing a private comms layer; apps and protocols evolve, so verify current specs before relying on them. Not affiliated with any messenger."
    },
    "rows": [
        {
            "messenger": "SimpleX Chat",
            "category": "No-identity relay messenger",
            "transport_model": "Relay (unidirectional SMP message queues; no user profiles on servers)",
            "metadata_resistance": "High — no user IDs or accounts; servers cannot see who is connected to whom",
            "identifier": "None (connect via one-time invite link or QR code)",
            "e2ee": "Double ratchet (X3DH key agreement, Signal-designed) plus extra routing layers",
            "open_source": "Yes (AGPL-3.0)",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (run your own SMP + XFTP servers)",
            "platforms": "iOS, Android, desktop",
            "sovereignty": "Highest metadata privacy of the group: it engineers identity out of the protocol. Ideal for non-KYC coordination.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Briar",
            "category": "Serverless P2P + Tor",
            "transport_model": "Peer-to-peer: Tor hidden services online; Bluetooth / Wi-Fi / USB offline",
            "metadata_resistance": "High — no server at all; Tor hides IP and traffic",
            "identifier": "None (pair in person or via link)",
            "e2ee": "Bramble protocols (BTP / BSP)",
            "open_source": "Yes (GPL-3.0)",
            "self_hostable": "N/A — serverless (optional Briar Mailbox is an always-on relay for offline delivery)",
            "platforms": "Android mobile only (no iOS); Briar Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux, beta) is a separate standalone client with its own identity, not a paired companion",
            "sovereignty": "Strongest censorship resistance; works when the internet dies. Trade-off: Android-only and both peers must be reachable.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Signal",
            "category": "Centralized, gold-standard crypto",
            "transport_model": "Centralized (Signal's own servers)",
            "metadata_resistance": "Medium — sealed sender helps, but a single operator and phone-number binding remain",
            "identifier": "Phone number required to register (usernames added 2024 hide the number from contacts, not from Signal)",
            "e2ee": "Signal protocol (double ratchet) — the reference standard others cite",
            "open_source": "Yes (AGPL-3.0, client and server)",
            "self_hostable": "Not in practice (one official network; forks do not federate)",
            "platforms": "iOS, Android, desktop",
            "sovereignty": "Best-in-class content encryption, but a centralized envelope and a phone number make it the least metadata-sovereign of the strong options.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Nostr DMs",
            "category": "Relay-network, key-based",
            "transport_model": "Relay network (your Nostr relays carry the messages)",
            "metadata_resistance": "Low on legacy NIP-04 (relays see sender/recipient); much higher with NIP-17 gift-wrapped DMs",
            "identifier": "Your Nostr public key (npub) — no phone, no email",
            "e2ee": "NIP-44 encryption with NIP-17 gift-wrap (legacy NIP-04 is deprecated and metadata-leaky)",
            "open_source": "Yes (open protocol and clients)",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (run your own relay)",
            "platforms": "Any Nostr client",
            "sovereignty": "You own the keys and can run the relay; use NIP-17, not NIP-04, or the relay learns your social graph. Pairs with the rest of the Nostr stack.",
            "source_url": "/nostr-for-bitcoiners-why-it-matters/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Session",
            "category": "Onion-routed, no phone",
            "transport_model": "Onion-routing overlay over the Oxen service-node network",
            "metadata_resistance": "High — no phone, onion routing hides IP; but depends on a token-incentivised node network",
            "identifier": "Random Session ID (an Ed25519 public key)",
            "e2ee": "Session protocol (moved off the Signal double ratchet to suit its store-and-forward design)",
            "open_source": "Yes (GPL-3.0)",
            "self_hostable": "No — relies on the shared Oxen service-node network",
            "platforms": "iOS, Android, desktop",
            "sovereignty": "No phone number and onion routing are strong, but you rent the transport from a token network you do not control.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Cwtch",
            "category": "Metadata-resistant P2P over Tor",
            "transport_model": "Peer-to-peer over Tor v3 onion services (untrusted-infrastructure design)",
            "metadata_resistance": "High — built explicitly to minimise metadata, even from its own infrastructure",
            "identifier": "None (a Cwtch address is a Tor onion public key)",
            "e2ee": "Cwtch / Tapir protocol over Tor",
            "open_source": "Yes (MIT)",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (self-host the optional server/bots; the model assumes untrusted infrastructure)",
            "platforms": "Desktop, Android",
            "sovereignty": "Among the most metadata-resistant; niche and Tor-dependent, so higher latency and a smaller user base.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Matrix / Element",
            "category": "Federated",
            "transport_model": "Federated (independent homeservers sync rooms)",
            "metadata_resistance": "Low — federation and homeservers expose room membership, timing and social-graph metadata",
            "identifier": "@user:server handle (email/phone optional)",
            "e2ee": "Olm / Megolm (double-ratchet family)",
            "open_source": "Yes — AGPL-3.0 (Synapse, Dendrite and the Element clients since Nov 2023); the Matrix protocol spec and the Conduit homeserver stay Apache-2.0",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (Synapse / Dendrite / Conduit homeserver)",
            "platforms": "iOS, Android, desktop, web",
            "sovereignty": "You can run your own homeserver, which is real sovereignty for groups, but the federation model is metadata-leaky by design.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "XMPP + OMEMO",
            "category": "Federated open standard",
            "transport_model": "Federated (open XMPP servers interoperate)",
            "metadata_resistance": "Low-medium — your server sees routing metadata; federation exposes more",
            "identifier": "JID (user@server) — no phone required",
            "e2ee": "OMEMO (double ratchet) on top of XMPP",
            "open_source": "Yes (open IETF standard; FOSS servers and clients)",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (Prosody / ejabberd)",
            "platforms": "All, via clients such as Conversations and Gajim",
            "sovereignty": "An open standard you can fully self-host with no vendor — but classic email-style federation means metadata is visible to servers.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        },
        {
            "messenger": "Delta Chat",
            "category": "Email-transport messenger",
            "transport_model": "Rides existing email infrastructure (IMAP / SMTP), or purpose-built chatmail servers",
            "metadata_resistance": "Low-medium — email envelope metadata remains, but no new account or phone is needed",
            "identifier": "An email address (or a chatmail address)",
            "e2ee": "Autocrypt / OpenPGP; newer chatmail servers enable encryption by default",
            "open_source": "Yes (MPL-2.0 / GPL)",
            "self_hostable": "Yes (any email server, or a self-hosted chatmail server)",
            "platforms": "iOS, Android, desktop",
            "sovereignty": "Uses infrastructure that already exists and that you can self-host; the cost is classic email metadata.",
            "source_url": "/private-messaging-for-bitcoiners/",
            "last_reviewed": "2026-07-16",
            "next_review": "2026-10-16"
        }
    ]
}